Doug Richardson: Man Behind the Music

Doug Richardson invited me to a show that his band was not only playing in, but that he helped to have. Being unfamiliar with all but one band that was in the building at Yesterdays Draught House and Stage, I brought a Bic and a notebook to outline the other bands before braving an article about them. I met Doug at the door and he introduced me to the two other boys in his band, 60612: Zach Kinda and Jeff Young. Once inside I claimed a comfortable seat on a stool and met as many people as possible.

Opening the exciting event was Sunday Morning Pint. Rob Kocher – vocals/guitar/harmonica, AJ Robinson – guitar, Brandon Pennington – guitar, Seth Wear – bass/vocals and Steve Turbanic – guitar/mandolin/banjo were beneficial to the beginning of the show. I spoke to Seth prior to their playing and was impressed with the part they played. They got the crowd cooperating and kicked the concert off correctly.

Following them and settling in for a fine set was Vanilla Sounded Chocolate. They had a heaping helping of songs and shined during their superb set. The crowd really connected with what was coming out of the sound system and VSP put on a pretty impeccable performance. Taking the third slot in the show was The Composure. Coming off a wonderful Warped Tour summer set, The Composure kept the concert contagious.

Not to be outshined in the spotlight, Doug Richardson and 60612 got the final fan-fare of the night. 60612 is a 3 piece punk/pop punk band from Brilliant, Ohio. With Doug on guitar and vocals, Zach on drums and rant, as in the song Make Your Move he provides a background addition by going on a raging rant, and Jeff on bass, 60612 is new at making music, but their brand new beats are likable and listenable and their lyrics are relatable. “Let me build my own hell/I’m already trapped inside myself,” Doug declares in the song Wings.

The lyrics to Lucky lecture, “Emo kid I just don’t get you/Could have been a stain on a tissue/So quit looking so fucking sad/Hey you/Yeah you in the back row/Waiting for a song that you know/We’re no cover band so that’s too bad.” Doug is dedicated – he applies himself, is energetic, and has a hardworking ethic. On my two favorite songs, Mozapalooza and Pancakes, the energy exuberates as they play fledgingly fast. 60612 has a steady start, building up more and more momentum like a train with a determined destination. They definitely have what it takes to go the distance if they don’t get derailed. For now, they are chugging along!

Sara Fincham: How did you get interested in music? Are you self-taught or did you take lessons?

Doug Richardson: I think everyone is interested in music from the start, you can’t tell me that you don’t have a home video of you singing in your underwear when you were 3! In my case music has just always been around. My great grand parents played guitar, but my biggest influence I guess would have to be my cousin Mandy. She was in her High School Concert Band so I would always go to the concerts.

This one concert they had a girl playing guitar and I thought that was the coolest thing ever. For my 7th birthday my Grandma bought me my first guitar. I took lessons at Moore’s Music in Bridgeport until I was about 10 then I actually lost interest. When I was 15 I decided to pick it back up and I haven’t put it down ever since.

SF: How old were you when you began your first band, or is 60612 your first foray?

DR: When I was 16 my best friend Josh, who plays guitar in Shift 6, and I started a band. We called ourselves Persuazion until we found out the name had been taken. We were young so we kind of lost interest in starting a band. 60612 play songs that I actually wrote for Persuazion.

SF: Do you remember the first song you ever learned how to play? Care to share?

DR: The first song I learned how to sing and play guitar to was Pieces by Sum 41. I just loved the emotion in the song and I wanted to recreate that with my own voice. We made a mic stand out of an old broomstick and tape and I spent hours learning that song.

SF: When you sit down to write a song – well – do you sit down to write songs? Do you have a process at all or do you just let the lyrics come to you?

DR: Normally it starts by me playing around on my acoustic guitar, I’ll write a riff then I’ll decide what I want to write about. My favorite song I think I’ve ever written is Mozapalooza. I started off with the lyric ‘so drunk you’re rarely ever sober,’ and I hit a wall, I couldn’t think of another lyric. Two days later my friend Josh Mozie said he wanted to put on a concert called Mozapalooza and it was like the floodgates opened. The song is about being in a failing relationship and just getting away with that person for a weekend. I draw on a lot of past relationships when I write songs like that.

SF: How did you meet Jeff and Zach and what was the conversation like that concluded in beginning a band?

DR: I met Zac through a mutual friend. I was living in a duplex and told him the other side was for rent. He moved in, we started talking about music and we decided to start a band. Jeff on the other hand just kind of fell in place, our old bass player quit 60612 a month before a show. I worked with Jeff and knew he played guitar so I asked him if he knew any bass players. He said he plays and the first practice we had with Jeff he blew us away.

SF: You don’t just make music – you encourage it, put shows together. Do you enjoy being involved in all the aspects of music-making and how does it benefit you and make you a better musician?

DR: I absolutely love putting shows together. I love interacting with other bands, talking to the fans, and just overall supporting local music. One huge benefit is show swapping, I booked Sunday Morning Pint and they just invited us to play a show in PA in December. Another benefit is I’ve learned a lot from other bands, The Composure gave me awesome pointers on how to run sound and just put on a better show.

SF: Any updates you can give us about new music, demos, shows we can see?

DR: 60612 is changing its name, it’s just too hard to remember but we haven‘t decided on a name yet. I’ve started recording a demo of my acoustic stuff which I’ll put online for free hopefully by December if not sooner, and October 29th we are playing a show at The Wells Township Haunted House so come check us out!